TCA Day 4: Amazon Delivers Lizzo, Latin Food & Conversation and "Utopia"

Amazon39s first panel for its new eightpart series Utopia pictured at top might sound like it was designed in a selfisolated world it wasn39t but it works perfectly for the confines of COVID19 The conspiracy thriller about saving the world while trying to find your place in it centers on a group of comic fans who meet online and bond over their obsession with a seemingly fictional comic of the same name It stars Ashleigh LaThrop Becky Dan Byrd Ian Jessica Rothe Samantha Desmin Borges Wilson Wilson and Javon quotWannaquot Walton Grant as the gang who unearth hidden meanings within the pages of their favorite comic predicting real threats to humanity and their adventure begins when they realize those conspiracies are coming alive in their current world Given the series39 internetconnected basis a current reality for everyone today its theme takes on a different resonance to when it was filmed pre COVID19quotDoing the show and then living through the pandemic and continuing to live through it39s weirdquot said John Cusack who stars as Dr Kevin Christie quotWhen we started the pandemic wasn39t happening But the themes of this kind of fantastic gang of people who are obsessed with Utopia who know that within Utopia lives a kind of road map or a secret to an apocalyptic future that included viruses famine perhaps a nuclear accident the theme itself covered a lot of that But it was kind of disturbing and surreal to see it come so close to life with the pandemicquotquotI don39t think anyone working on the show had some sort pathway to know about this pandemicquot added Borges quotEverything about 2020 is probably the weirdest it has ever been for all of us Speaking for me personally it definitely is the weirdest place yetquotViewers simply oversaturated with bad news and looking for quotescapist entertainmentquot shouldn39t worry The cast wants it known Utopia is just that quotThis is by no means a docudramaquot offered Cusack quotWe39re living in this sort of a comic book fantasy that the pandemic is playing out in I don39t really think people watching will feel like 39Oh this is like watching the news or something that is just hitting too close to home39 It39s really about the adventure this group is going on and these intersecting storylines The backdrop happens to be a pandemic but it39s in a completely different context than what we39re experiencing right nowquotI think that will help with the escapism aspectquot he continued quotYou39re also watching all these characters their relationships and friendships grow In the document of these two comic books they not only tell you about the past but about the present and future There39s an element of mystery and you sort of fall in love with this crew all trying to solve it and how the world of science the authorities the feds and the government all kind of come into it There39s a lot of fun even though it has the idea of utopia and dystopiaquotNarcos Mexico star Diego Luna pictured below is relying on the ageold tradition of breaking bread over a meal to explore the current division of society in a series he created executive produced and hosts Pan y Circo Bread and Circus is a sevenepisode series that follows Luna from Baja California to Puebla Quintana Roo and Mexico City as he moderates conversations between politicians activists and a variety of personalities who might throw meals at each other before sharing them quotThe idea was to create some space where we can listen to each otherquot explained Luna quotEveryone is shouting these days social media is a great example of that but no one listens and listening is how we find out what we can do together and connectquotPolarized societies are very dangerousquot he added quotAlso I wanted to do a show where I can get closer to cooks I39m obsessed with food and with the stories these chefs tell with their work it was a chance to talk about the real world the one that should be worrying us today so muchquotTopical conversations of gender violence climate change decriminalization of abortion racism and identity drug legalization immigration and finally COVID19 filmed remotely during confinement with virtual interviews are discussed against the backdrop of menus created by some of Mexico39s most renowned chefs who also join the conversations quotThrough the cooking and through the ingredients they39re telling a story and participating in the tablequot Luna revealed quotTowards the end chefs come and sit at the table with us and they participate over the last course on the futureampampuotIt was interestingquot he continued quotIn the beginning there was room for people to confront each other39s ideas but towards the end everyone seemed to be heading the same way I didn39t want it to create fights My aunt used to say 39No one talk politics at the table39 To me it39s the perfect place for that to happen as when you39re eating you can39t speakquotIf there39s one thing Luna is proud of in his time as a oneman United Nations it39s that he brought people with vastly different ideologies to the table and educated them quotWe had an activist that sees everything from one perspective but another from the otherquot he revealed in closing quotMany people met at the table of Pan y Circo and they kept connected Now you see them on Twitter participating in debates together and you go 39Wow that connection was made at the table of Bread and CircusquotPan y Circo begins streaming Friday August 7th with two additional episodes added each week Utopia will debut in the fallPhotos courtesy of Amazon PrimeClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNetamp160

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TCA Day 4: Amazon Delivers Lizzo, Latin Food & Conversation and "Utopia"

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